Whatever the weather, your mind can make a good day

“… it is my mind assigning the meaning to everything I see, hear, and feel.”  – Sherrie Frank  

One day in 1978, I sat in an old farmhouse in Brady, Montana, with sad tears running down my face. I was watching the first rain I’d seen in months, surrounded by crumpled tissues and negotiating with my life. That day, I promised my life that “If you take me back to Oregon, I’ll never complain about the rain again.” I was back home a few months later, and I’ve only broken that promise once. It was in 1997, and Oregon had logged its wettest year. After days and days of downpours, I woke again to the sound of raindrops on my roof, and I heard myself groan. My whining lasted only a moment until I remembered my promise and apologized for my momentary relapse. 

Before moving to eastern Montana, I thought a rainy day in Oregon meant a day of inconvenience and damp misery. Now when a rainy day comes, whether indoors or out, I pay attention to Oregon rain’s sensual sights, sounds, and smells. I learned from my experience in Montana that my mind and not the weather determined if my day would be good or bad. And over the years, I’ve learned this is true not only about the weather. My mind assigns meaning to everything I see, hear, and feel.  

Today was a good example. I woke up after only a few hours of sleep this morning. In my mind, this meant it would be a hard day. In the past, I might have resigned myself to it. Today, though, I decided that I wanted to feel energized and productive rather than have a hard day. So, since I knew I was operating on less sleep, I started my day with yoga and a walk to generate energy. It did take some effort to convince my mind to get out of bed to exercise. And it worked. I created a good day for myself, and tonight I feel sleepy, happy, and fulfilled.  

Without awareness, I’ve entered days thinking they would be “hard” and feel “overwhelming.” I would blame the environment or people in those environments for those feelings, even though I was the one who was overcommitted and under-rested. I’d spend those days just waiting for them to be over. This seemed like such a waste to me, and I’ve put effort into learning how to make choices that may feel hard to my reactive mind and are wise to do for my well-being. (Like exercising when I feel tired). This kind of engagement with life creates a lot of satisfaction for me. How about you? 

Today, I invite you to join me in paying attention to the meaning we attach to what we see, hear, and feel within our environments. Because even though we can’t control the weather, we can take ownership of the meaning we give it and learn to create an experience that supports our well-being and happiness. Yes. 

Xo -s